An explosion struck the United States embassy in Oslo, Norway, in the early hours of Sunday, causing “minor material damage”, according to local police authorities.
The incident occurred as tensions continue to rise around American diplomatic missions worldwide following escalating hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Several US diplomatic facilities in Gulf nations hosting American troops — including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — have reportedly been targeted in retaliatory strikes linked to Iran.
In a statement released after the incident, Oslo police said the cause of the explosion had not yet been determined.
The blast reportedly occurred around 1am local time and damaged the entrance to the embassy’s consular section.
Authorities said investigators had begun examining the scene while security resources were deployed to search “for one or more potential perpetrators”.
“Police view such incidents in public spaces as very serious, and are investigating the case with substantial resources and high priority,” the statement said.
Michael Dellemyr, the police commander, told local television stations that officials would “not comment on anything related to the type of damage, what it is that has exploded and similar details, beyond the fact that there has been an explosion”.
He added that although the investigation was still at an early stage, the police “have an idea of the cause” of the blast and suggested that it may have been “carried out by someone”.
Dellemyr also noted that investigators were speaking with witnesses in an effort to gather more information about the incident.